Villain System: Stealing the Protagonist's Harem and Luck

Chapter 70: As the Villain’s Father, He’s Starting to Get It

The palace was majestic, an ancient heavenly court descended to the mortal realm.

Inside, the cosmos seemed to manifest. Nebulae swirled, and the heavy aura of “Heaven and Earth, Dark and Yellow” permeated the air.

Sitting cross-legged in the center was a middle-aged man of towering stature. His features were blurred by chaotic mist, but they bore a striking resemblance to Gu Changge. Faint, grand sounds echoed around him—the chanting of world hymns, the prayers of ancient sacrifices.

His aura suppressed the heavens themselves. He sat like a primordial deity from before the dawn of creation.

As Gu Changge entered, the man opened his eyes.

The cold indifference that usually looked down upon all living beings vanished, replaced by a warm, gentle gaze reserved only for his son.

This was Gu Lintian, the Patriarch of the Immortal Gu Family.

He stood at the absolute apex of the Upper Realm. A single casual edict from this palace could alter the fate of worlds, deciding the life and death of trillions. To put it bluntly, he was an eternal giant who had overlooked the ages.

“Father, I have returned.”

Gu Changge stood before him, his expression respectful and obedient.

“Did everything go smoothly?” Gu Lintian asked gently. “During your trip to the Lower Realm, several elders from the other branches were quite critical, prying into your whereabouts.”

The fact that Gu Changge possessed a Devil Heart was a closely guarded secret. Only Gu Lintian, Gu Changge’s mother, and a few key ancestors of their lineage knew the truth.

The Devil Heart was a calamity. Since the birth of the Upper Realm, only nine possessors had ever appeared. The previous eight had all become world-ending Demon Lords, slaughtering endlessly until they were besieged and destroyed by the combined forces of the Daoist orthodoxies.

It was an omen of absolute disaster. If the secret leaked, the world would not just shun Gu Changge; they would hunt him like a rabid dog.

When Gu Changge was born with the heart, even Gu Lintian had been stunned.

But he had acted fast. He silenced the witnesses and hatched a plan.

A Devil Heart meant Gu Changge could never inherit the Gu Family. The other branches would never allow a potential Demon Lord to lead them.

Fortunately, fate provided a solution. A young girl from a side branch was discovered to possess a Dao Bone.

For his son’s future, Gu Lintian had been decisive. He orchestrated the extraction, grafting the Dao Bone onto Gu Changge to mask the demonic fluctuations.

The cover-up had lasted over a decade. The side branch had been suppressed and exiled, their influence withering away. The little girl herself had disappeared, taken away by an old servant, vanishing into the dust of history.

Gu Lintian had investigated, but found nothing. Even the clan ancestors turned a blind eye to the unsavory affair.

“Everything was very successful,” Gu Changge replied.

He knew his parents doted on him to an extreme degree. It fit the trope perfectly: the Protagonist’s parents were usually absent or neglectful, while the Villain’s parents would burn the world to pave their child’s path.

“Let me see it,” Gu Lintian said. “The weapon of the former Demon Lord. You likely cannot control it yet.”

“Yes, Father.”

Gu Changge willed it, and the Eight Desolate Demon Halberd materialized from the Weapon Space.

Hum!

The void trembled. Terrifying killing intent surged, threatening to shatter the heavens.

But the moment it appeared before Gu Lintian, the overwhelming demonic aura shrank back like a terrified flame in a hurricane. To Gu Changge, the mighty weapon looked like a shivering child.

“Father, you scared it,” Gu Changge said helplessly. He sent a soothing mental wave to the Halberd, calming its trembling.

It had just gained sentience and thought itself powerful. But before Gu Lintian, it realized it was nothing more than a skiff in a raging ocean.

“It seems you have other fortuitous encounters,” Gu Lintian noted, withdrawing his pressure. “I didn’t even sense where you retrieved it from. Good. Your mother will worry less.”

“Luckily, the Halberd harbors no ill will toward you. Otherwise, I would have erased its consciousness. A mindless tool is safer.”

Gu Lintian smiled, his eyes warm.

Although the Halberd was a peerless artifact, to him, it was a danger to his son first and a weapon second. A single thought from him could have suppressed it for eternity.

Since it was Gu Changge’s opportunity, he wouldn’t interfere. Gu Changge had secrets—the System, the Devil Heart—and Gu Lintian respected that. But he would always be the shield guarding against external threats.

“Your cultivation has improved,” Gu Lintian noted, scanning him. “The Young Supremes of the other branches will struggle to catch you now.”

At Gu Changge’s age, Gu Lintian had only been at the Conferred Lord Realm. Gu Changge was already at the peak, half a step into the Conferred King Realm.

“Father flatters me,” Gu Changge smiled.

He didn’t mention that he had burned 5,000 Destiny Points to boost his cultivation on the trip back. Or that his true strength could crush a Void God Realm expert with ease.

“The Halberd is a liability,” Gu Lintian advised. “Until your position as the Family Head is solidified, do not use it unless absolutely necessary. It draws too much attention to your nature.”

It wasn’t fear of theft—no one dared rob the Gu Family. It was fear of internal politics. Once Gu Changge was locked in as the heir, the old fogies could complain all they wanted; they would have to accept a Demon Lord as their patriarch.

“It seems you’re starting to get it…”

Suddenly, Gu Lintian’s gaze shifted to the Soul Nourishing Jade at Gu Changge’s waist. He sensed Yan Ji’s aura inside.

A look of gratification, utterly unsuited to his profound image, appeared on his face.

“Father, you misunderstand…” Gu Changge chuckled, quickly explaining Yan Ji’s origin (omitting the part where he gaslighted a Protagonist to get her).

“A race born of the Innate Fire Origin,” Gu Lintian nodded, recognizing her true form instantly. “I thought they were extinct. Since you like her, keep her.”

“At her peak, she was a Great Sage. A worthy guardian.”

“Great Sage?” Gu Changge blinked.

In the Gu Family, God Kings were the backbone. Saints were major experts. A Great Sage? That was the level of a Clan Elder.

He had truly picked up a treasure.

“When you have time, return to the Daootian Immortal Palace,” Gu Lintian said, his eyes darkening with ambition. “They have been critical of your absence. The position of Successor… it is time to claim it.”

Behind him, visions of collapsing universes and shattering stars played out, a testament to his supreme power.

“Don’t worry, Father,” Gu Changge said, matching his father’s ambition. “The position of Successor is mine.”

The Daootian Immortal Palace, one of the oldest sects in the Upper Realm, would eventually belong to the Gu father and son.

…

PS: Regarding the protagonist’s background, rest assured.

In my books, the protagonist has always been like this—whether known or unknown, no one can surpass him.

Don’t start rumors about killing female characters; I’ve been in Feilu for years and know what plot points to avoid.